Mock ELA and MATH Exams

Mock ELA and Math Exams

Third graders are scheduled to take the NY State exams in April and May. Next week students will take a “mock” ELA exam. This “practice” exam is meant to familiarize our third graders with the experience of sitting for an exam. It is important for children to know what to expect under testing conditions.  Students will become more familiar with the format of the exam, the length of the exam, and the types of questions they can expect to see. Both the mock ELA and mock Math exams will mimic the format of this year’s upcoming exams. This year’s exam will be given over the course of 2 days. The tests are un-timed; students are given as much time as they need, as long as they are continuously working productively.

In ELA, the structure of the exams is as follows:

Day 1- Multiple Choice

Day 2- Short Answer and Extended Response

Students in both 301 and 302 will be taking the ELA Mock Exam on Monday, February 11th and Wednesday, February 13th.

The dates of the Mock Math exam will be announced.  The structure of the Math Exam is as follows:

Day 1- Multiple Choice

Day 2- Multiple Choice (8 questions), Short Answer and Extended Response

The results of the ELA and Math mock exams will not be counted towards your child’s grade. We will  be using student responses  to guide our  instruction in the upcoming weeks.

Getting Reading for the Exams:

In our Reading and Writing, we have already been doing so much to prepare for these standardized tests! As a part of our curriculum, children are asked to read closely, and demonstrate understanding of what they read. Readers are also familiar with providing text evidence for their ideas. The work of finding main idea and supporting details will help students navigate nonfiction passages. In Writing, children have been taught organizational structures, such as structuring their writing in paragraphs, and stating ideas and supporting them with reasons and examples.

Our next unit in reading and writing, Writing Baby Literary Essays, will offer strong supports for being successful on the ELA exam. In this unit, readers will learn to read short texts, such as short stories, articles, and poems, and respond to the texts in writing.  Students will learn how to closely read and annotate both fiction and nonfiction texts.  We will be explicitly teaching strategies for answering short response and extended response (essay) questions.

The best way to support your young learner is to continue to provide ample time for uninterrupted, sustained reading.  The ELA exam requires reading stamina! Students are expected to read multiple short texts in one sitting. The best way to prepare for this is to read, read, read!

Upcoming Dates:

February 11th and -13th (Monday/Wednesday)- Mock ELA Exam

February 14- Valentines Day- You may send in Valentine’s for the class. Please make sure every child is included. (No candy treats, please!)

February 18-22- NO SCHOOL

February 25- BACK TO SCHOOL

February 28- Trip to the Aquarium